Population 15,272 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Gardendale
Household size in Gardendale
| Period | Gardendale | Birmingham area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.49 | 2.56 | 2.55 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.47 | 2.59 | 2.58 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.50 | 2.59 | 2.58 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.55 | 2.57 | 2.56 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.06 | +0.01 | +0.00 | −0.03 |
The average household in Gardendale has 2.55 people, a bit under the U.S. average of 2.65. The Birmingham area as a whole looks much the same. Since 2006–10, household size has crept up from 2.49, even as the national average fell.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Gardendale
| Period | Gardendale | Birmingham area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 41.1 | 37.9 | 38.2 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 44.2 | 39.1 | 39.1 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 41.9 | 39.9 | 40.1 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 38.5 | 40.0 | 40.2 | 40.1 |
| Change | −2.6 | +2.1 | +2.0 | +2.3 |
The median resident of Gardendale is 38.5 years old, a few years younger than the national median of 40.1. Since 2006–10, the median age has dropped from 41.1, even as the national median rose. The youngest areas are in the north, the oldest in the west.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Gardendale
| Period | Gardendale | Birmingham area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.5% | 12.1% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 8.5% | 12.0% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 9.6% | 11.2% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 10.4% | 12.0% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| Change | +1.9 pts | −0.1 pts | −0.3 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head about one in ten households in Gardendale (10.4%), a little below the national share of 11.6%. Since 2006–10, the single-parent share has risen 1.9 points, even as the national share fell.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Gardendale
Renters in Gardendale
| Period | Gardendale | Birmingham area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.2% | 27.9% | 28.9% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 16.8% | 30.4% | 30.8% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 18.6% | 30.6% | 31.2% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 17.9% | 29.2% | 29.8% | 34.8% |
| Change | +5.6 pts | +1.3 pts | +0.9 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 17.9% of households in Gardendale rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Nearly four in ten owners (37.7%) have paid off their mortgages, about the same as nationally. Rentals cluster in the south; owners are most common in the northwest. Since 2006–10, the renter share has risen 5.6 points, a much bigger shift than nationally.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Gardendale
| Period | Gardendale | Birmingham area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.4% | 12.5% | 14.0% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 7.9% | 12.8% | 14.6% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 7.2% | 13.6% | 15.7% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 6.2% | 11.6% | 13.5% | 9.6% |
| Change | −1.2 pts | −1.0 pts | −0.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
Fewer homes sit empty in Gardendale than nationally: 6.2%, against 9.6% for the U.S. Vacancy has edged down 1.2 points since 2006–10, in line with the national trend. Only 16 of the 186 Alabama cities with 5,000+ people have a lower vacancy rate.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Gardendale
| Period | Gardendale | Birmingham area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1980 | 1979 | 1980 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1982 | 1981 | 1982 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1984 | 1982 | 1983 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1986 | 1984 | 1986 | 1980 |
| Change | +6 | +5 | +6 | +6 |
Homes in Gardendale are newer than the national norm: the median home was built in 1986, versus 1980 across the U.S. The median year built has moved up from 1980 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. Newer construction is concentrated in the southwest, while the southeast has the oldest housing.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Gardendale
| Period | Gardendale | Birmingham area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $833 | $827 | $716 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $933 | $903 | $785 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,028 | $984 | $858 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,089 | $1,238 | $1,091 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$257 | +$412 | +$375 | +$606 |
A typical rental in Gardendale costs $1,089 a month with utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rents are up $257 a month from 2006–10, a 31% rise, a slower climb than the nation's. Rent takes 32.7% of the typical renter's income, just over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent. The priciest rents are in the south; the most affordable are in the north.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Gardendale
Bachelor's degrees in Gardendale
| Period | Gardendale | Birmingham area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 22.5% | 28.3% | 23.3% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 22.9% | 29.1% | 24.3% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 27.0% | 31.1% | 26.2% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 30.3% | 34.7% | 29.0% | 35.6% |
| Change | +7.8 pts | +6.4 pts | +5.7 pts | +7.2 pts |
About three in ten adults 25 and older in Gardendale (30.3%) have a bachelor's degree or higher, a little below the national share of 35.6%. The share with a degree is up 7.8 points from 2006–10, in line with the national trend. College graduates are most concentrated in the southwest and least in the center.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Gardendale
| Period | Gardendale | Birmingham area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 88.8% | 85.7% | 82.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 89.9% | 86.8% | 84.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 92.4% | 88.9% | 86.4% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 92.6% | 90.5% | 88.7% | 89.3% |
| Change | +3.8 pts | +4.9 pts | +6.4 pts | +4.3 pts |
About nine in ten adults in Gardendale have finished high school (92.6%), above the national rate of 89.3%. Since 2006–10, the share with a diploma has risen 3.8 points, mirroring the country. Gardendale has a higher share of high school graduates than the great majority of Alabama cities.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Gardendale
| Period | Gardendale | Birmingham area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 4.5% | 8.0% | 8.6% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 5.1% | 9.2% | 10.2% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 4.1% | 5.9% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.6% | 4.4% | 4.9% | 5.4% |
| Change | −0.9 pts | −3.6 pts | −3.7 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Gardendale runs below the national rate: 3.6% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Unemployment has edged down 0.9 points since 2006–10, a smaller shift than nationally. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Gardendale compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gardendale | 2.55 | 38.5 | 10.4% | 17.9% | 6.2% | 1986 | $1,089 | 30.3% | 92.6% | 3.6% |
| Mount Olive | 2.60 | 40.5 | 6.4% | 14.5% | 8.9% | 1985 | $1,170 | 26.4% | 90.2% | 1.2% |
| Fultondale | 2.27 | 37.4 | 20.4% | 35.9% | 7.4% | 1985 | $1,227 | 29.1% | 91.3% | 2.6% |
| Cardiff | 3.08 | 34.1 | 7.5% | 14.3% | 9.3% | 1988 | $1,003 | 25.8% | 92.2% | 1.5% |
| Morris | 2.73 | 41.0 | 6.4% | 11.3% | 11.7% | 1995 | $947 | 28.3% | 90.4% | 2.3% |
| Brookside | 2.51 | 39.8 | 18.0% | 35.1% | 8.6% | 1977 | $864 | 17.0% | 88.0% | 2.7% |
| Tarrant | 2.23 | 39.7 | 15.2% | 60.5% | 10.9% | 1963 | $920 | 7.6% | 69.4% | 5.9% |
| Forestdale | 2.53 | 43.9 | 12.7% | 32.5% | 9.3% | 1968 | $1,278 | 28.1% | 91.7% | 5.0% |
| Kimberly | 2.72 | 37.8 | 7.0% | 9.2% | 14.7% | 1999 | $784 | 31.5% | 91.5% | 2.8% |
| Center Point | 2.65 | 36.2 | 24.3% | 43.3% | 14.0% | 1973 | $1,216 | 17.1% | 89.9% | 9.4% |
| Sayre | 2.21 | 48.1 | 7.0% | 4.0% | 17.3% | 1985 | $963 | 10.1% | 92.2% | 0.3% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Spanish Fort, AL · Fort Drum, NY · Franklin Park, PA · Frederick, CO · Galena, OH · Girard, OH · Shiloh, IL · Silver City, NM · Somerset, PA · South Charleston, WV
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Gardendale. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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